Liverpool are facing major sanctions from UEFA after the shocking scenes which saw supporters attack the Manchester City team bus prior to their Champions League tie, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper report that the Reds are facing severe punishment from the officiating body after the Anfield faithful threw bottles and flares at the coach, avoiding harm to any of the players but leaving the bus itself with a smashed door and window, being declared unfit for use.
UEFA’s control, ethics and disciplinary body are said to be meeting on Thursday to discuss the matter, and punishment could lead to a fine or even a possible match played behind closed doors at Anfield, while they will also be punished for crowd disturbances in both of their semi-final legs against Roma.
Opinion
The fans’ behaviour prior to the clash against Manchester City at Anfield was nothing short of disgraceful and the only way to punish the supporters is to hold that behind closed doors clash next season. The violent demonstration was not the sort of thing English football has been known to see and there will be hopes that it is never seen again. Yes, intimidating the opposition is well within the fans’ rights but doing so in a legal manner is the most important thing. There was criminal damage carried out and those guilty are lucky there have not been more investigations into the matter. As for Liverpool, they face the punishment and while fines would likely not be passed on to the supporters in the form of increased ticket prices or the like, the possibility of missing a Champions League clash will hit home much harder. An empty Anfield on a European night would be a strange sight indeed.